Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn and Queen Suthida personally piloted their royal aircraft to Hanoi for a three-day state visit to Vietnam, marking the first visit by a Thai king and queen to the country since diplomatic relations were established in 1976.
The royal Boeing 737-800 arrived at Noi Bai International Airport on Sept 14. King Maha Vajiralongkorn occupied the captain’s seat, while Queen Suthida served as co-pilot.
The aircraft landed safely in Hanoi despite heavy rain. Both the King and Queen are qualified pilots, with the monarch having received military and civilian aviation training during his career in the Royal Thai Armed Forces.
King Maha Vajiralongkorn has previously been certified to fly several aircraft, including the F-5, F-16 and Boeing 737-400. He also served as an F-5E/F fighter pilot instructor during his military career.
Queen Suthida worked as a flight attendant with Thai Airways and JALways before entering military service. She also holds qualifications to operate large passenger aircraft.
The royal couple’s state visit, which ran from Sept 14 to 16, was held at the invitation of Vietnamese Party General Secretary and President To Lam and his wife, Ngo Phuong Ly.
The visit coincided with the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Thailand and Vietnam. The two countries established formal diplomatic ties in 1976 and upgraded their relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership in 2025.
During the visit, the King and Queen attended an official welcoming ceremony in Hanoi and met with President To Lam and other senior Vietnamese officials.
They also attended a state banquet hosted by the Vietnamese president and took part in other official engagements, including visits to important national and cultural sites.
Thailand and Vietnam have strengthened cooperation in areas including trade, investment, tourism, education and culture. Thailand is Vietnam’s largest trading partner within ASEAN, with bilateral trade reaching US$22.1 billion in 2025.
The state visit is intended to further strengthen ties between the two Southeast Asian neighbours as they mark five decades of diplomatic relations and continue expanding their comprehensive strategic partnership.
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